


Peacefully Brave

by Majesticone



Category: Divergent (Movies)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-16
Updated: 2015-01-16
Packaged: 2018-03-07 19:27:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3180398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Majesticone/pseuds/Majesticone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A timid young girl from Amity learns to conquer her fears and finds where she truly belongs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Choices, choices...

**Author's Note:**

> I've read the first book and part of the second, but honestly, I didn't like Tris much. I wanted to explore the world of Divergent through the eyes of a different character. So if I get anything wrong, it's because of that. :) Hope you guys enjoy anyway, and credit goes to Veronica Roth.

~The Peaceful~

My parents want me to stay in Amity after I take my Apitude test and choose a faction. But there are five factions, and I have to think of myself too. Who am I? Am I really peaceful? Or am I intelligent, honest, selfless, or brave?   
I know the system is necessary for our civilization to survive. Jeanine, one of the leaders in Erudite, says that the future belongs to those who know who they are. But really, does everyone know that for certain when they’re sixteen? How do they expect me to know what to do, in a decision that will change my life forever?  
I bend over in the fields, harvesting carrots and other vegetables. Here in Amity, we grow most of the food for the other factions. We’re the peaceful ones; we believe in kindness and unity. Most days, I enjoy the work. But not today, when I and other kids my age, will have to choose a faction tomorrow. I’m too nervous.  
My mother, who’s standing near me, notices that I’m not working as enthusiastically as usual. “Persia. You’ll be fine. Most of the time, people get their faction of origin on the test. And look at you! You’re pure Amity.”  
The words don’t comfort me much. Sure I was born here, but something in me tells me that I really don’t belong. So I shrug and try to change the subject. “What’d you get on your test, Mom?”  
She laughs and pauses in her work to pull a strand of long, blonde hair behind her ear. “Candor. Silly, right?”   
That explains a lot. My mom has always been honest to a fault. “So why’d you choose Amity?”  
“Didn’t want all my secrets leaked. I had quite a few before the Choosing Ceremony. You know they put give the Initiates truth serum? It’s disgusting.”  
I nod absently. The other factions don’t even need explaining. Mom couldn’t be in Abnegation for sure. Erudite? Maybe, but it’s not really her style. That leaves Dauntless. I chuckle, imagining Mom in that faction. She’s afraid of spiders; she would’t survive in there for a day.

The end of the work day comes all too soon. After dinner, which we share as a faction in the main cafeteria, we split up and go to our homes. No goodbyes are said; my parents are confident that I’ll stay.  
I crawl into bed and try to sleep, but it’s impossible. I’m sure I’ll rest easier once I know exactly where I belong.

 

~The Apitude Test~

The test is being held in Abnegation this year. I walk with my parents to the large building that was constructed especially for this purpose. There are five doors, behind which are the testing areas for each faction.   
It’s a colorful scene; Candor at the far left, with their black and white suits; Erudite, all in bright blue; Dauntless in black, Abnegation in grey, and of course, Amity. We prefer to wear red and yellow. It makes us look cheerful and kind.

When my turn comes, I walk through the door and enter the small room. Inside is a chair and a little table. A young woman stands there, looking rather tired. Personally, I don’t blame her.  
“Sit,” she says, picking up a glass of clear liquid from the table and handing it to me. I take it without question; I don’t want to bother her, and frankly, I just want the test to be over with. The fewer interruptions, the better.  
My thoughts begin to drift and I close my eyes, beginning to phase out. Maybe it’s whatever I drank, or maybe I’m falling asleep. I did have a rough night last night...  
I open my eyes suddenly and realize that I’m standing. I don’t remember getting up. And where did the woman go? I glance around the room and find that while I wasn’t paying attention, three tables have been set up in front of me. On each lies a piece of meat, a slice of cheese, and a knife. I’m confused for a moment and then I hear a voice coming seemingly from nowhere.   
“Choose.”  
“What?” I ask.  
“Choose...before it’s too late.”  
I don’t know what to expect, so I pick up the knife. Better to be prepared than caught unawares. A low growl from behind me startles me and I jump, turning quickly around. It’s a wild dog, baring its teeth at me. “Oh hi,” I mumble stupidly. “Didn’t see you there.”  
This doesn’t seem to calm the dog down at all. It lunges at me, snapping its jaws at my face. Without a second thought, I plunge the knife into its heart and jerk away, panting.

The next second, I’m back in the chair. The young woman stares at me, shaking her head.   
“What?” I ask.  
“I’ve never seen anything like this.”  
“What were my results?”  
“The complete opposite of your birth faction. Dauntless. Most Amity get Amity; or Abnegation. Some get Erudite. But Dauntless? What do you think of that?”  
“I don’t know,” I confess. “But I guess I’ll find out at the ceremony, huh?”


	2. Peace or Bravery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the super-short chapters, guys. They'll likely get longer when she starts training. I'm not very good with beginnings.

~The Choosing Ceremony~

 

The next day, all the factions crowd into the building where the test was held. The room we're in now is a large half-circle, with an elevated stage in the center. On it is a table, with a knife and four bowls. 

The substances in the bowls represent each faction; grey stones, for Abnegation, glass for Candor, clear water for Erudite, soil for Amity, and burning coals for Dauntless. Each young man and woman goes up to the table when their name is called and pierces their hand with the knife. They drop their blood into the bowl of the faction of their choice. 

Although the test results show which faction everyone would work best in, we're free to choose differently. Thus the indecision I feel right now. 

After a short speech from each leader of the five factions, the names of those who are choosing this year are called out in alphabetical order. I try not to show that I haven't made my decision yet. It's embarrassing. Half of these kids probably know where they belong already.

I feel lightheaded and nervous, and wish I could be more confident. By the time my name is called, I don't feel like standing up. I think I might faint because of the suspense and stress. My parents look at me encouragingly, but it doesn't help. What would they do if they knew my test results? If they knew that I didn't really plan on staying in Amity after all?

Sighing, I stand and walk slowly to the table. I take the knife and wince as the sharp, cold blade pierces my palm. The blood pools in my cupped hand and time seems to slow down. 

Amity. Abnegation. Candor. Erudite. 

Dauntless.

The room is so silent I can hear a pin drop. Very very few people from Amity have /ever/ transferred to Dauntless. It's unthinkable. It would shame my parents. 

But the burning coals currently seem more inviting than the other substances. If I transferred to Dauntless, I could overcome my fears. I have so, so many of them. Sure I took down that dog during the test, but it was out of self-defense, not bravery. The two are often very different things.

I know that time is ticking, so I look over the five bowls once again. So many possibilities, and so little time. I hold my breath, step over to the bowl on the left, and let my blood drop onto the sizzling coals.

I am not peaceful. 

I am Dauntless.

I am brave.

 

The silence in the room continues as I turn and go to sit with the Dauntless. They too are quiet for a moment, and then they go wild. Absolutely insane. I blush as I'm patted on the back and welcomed, and then sit down. I look over at my parents, who are simply staring at me in disbelief. 

Well, they should be. I can't even believe this. But the excitement isn't over. 

A few more names are called, and then a young girl, Abnegation-born, chooses Dauntless. Tris Prior, I think her name is. An Abnegation choosing Dauntless is almost more unheard of than an Amity-born initiate choosing the warrior faction. They're supposed to be selfless and kind. They are helpers, not warriors. 

But things are changing, apparently. I smile at the girl as she comes and sits with us, but she doesn't seem to notice me. I don't blame her; this is a big day for both of us. Maybe I'll get to talk to her later, find out why she transferred and what she got on her test, perhaps.


	3. Faction Before Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's really interesting writing a fanfic from a pov that's not in the main character's group at all. I'm trying to go along (mostly) with the plot of Divergent, /and/ have a new character in the mix, which is more difficult than I thought it would be. But it's fun :P
> 
> Also, I did see on Wikipedia that certain characters don't make it through the series. 
> 
> That sucks.
> 
> And that will change. MUahahahahaha! 
> 
> But other than that, I'll try to at /least/ stick with the plot of the first book. The rest is purely my imagination.

~The Train~

The ceremony ends abruptly after the last person has chosen and all of us leave to our respective factions. I wish we had a chance to say goodbye to our families, but we don't. As the saying goes, "Faction before blood." Dauntless is my family now.

In a month or so, our families may come to visit us and see how we're doing. Well, I know mine won't. They wanted me to stay in Amity. But I've made my choice, and there's no going back now.

The Dauntless-born initiates lead the way in a race to the train. The tracks are high above our city, giving whoever's on the train a good view. That also means that we have to climb a long way up to get to the train. But I like climbing, and I feel my adrenaline rising with excitement. 

Once we're next to the tracks, the train comes. I wait for it to slow down, but it rushes past, nearly knocking me down with the wind it creates. I realize suddenly that the Dauntless-born are jumping onto it, and I run to catch up. Luckily, I'm not too out of shape. I manage to grab hold of a car and swing myself inside the open door just in time. Unfortunately, I end up knocking someone over as I try (and fail) to keep my balance. 

"Sorry!" I exclaim, standing and brushing myself off. "Are you hurt?"

The man stands and glares at me, and I go silent, but not out of fear. He's really rather attractive, to be honest. He's tall and muscular, with tattoos on his neck and two piercings above his eyebrows. But what catches my attention most are his eyes--they are a pale green that is almost grey. Beautiful. 

"No, just watch where you're going," he grumbles. I nod and smile, turning away to hide a blush. I'll have to find out his name later.

In a few minutes, a woman hollers from the back of the train. "We're there, get ready!" 

Get ready? What's that supposed to mean? I watched the Dauntless-born to see what they are doing and I curse under my breath.

They're jumping. From the train and onto the roof of a nearby building.

A blonde kid next to me glances at me nervously. "No way. They expect us to jump?"

"Guess so," I say, going to the doors to prepare myself. 

"What happens if we refuse?" the boy asks, his voice shaking.

"What do you think?" I reply. There's only one option for people who don't pass Initiation. They'll be Factionless, homeless.

The roof is coming into view. I take a deep breath and run out of the train, jumping on the very edge of the compartment. I hit the gravely surface of the roof and sit there, stunned for a moment before I stand shakily. A thought crosses my mind. 

Did we all make it?

I go to the edge of the roof and look down. The sight makes me sick; three or four Initiates lay dead on the road. I'm glad when I find that the boy I spoke to briefly isn't one of them, but I can see a girl crying a few feet away. I suppose she lost someone close to her. Poor thing. This gets me wondering what other risks we'll have to take in the next week or so.

I don't have to wait long to find out. The man I think I may have a little crush on stands on the edge of the roof and looks us over. "Welcome to Dauntless, Initiates. I'm Eric, one of your trainers. Well...someone's got to jump first. Who's it going to be?"

Woah, woah, woah. Jump? Again? I go to the edge and look down, only to see a gigantic hole at the bottom. A Erudite-born initiate asks, "Is there water at the bottom or something?"

Eric merely smirks. "Guess you'll find out, eh? Well, who's going first?"

There's a dead silence, almost more intense than when I chose Dauntless at the ceremony. Then suddenly a small voice says, "I'll do it."

It takes a moment for me to register that it's the Abnegation-born--or Stiff, as we call it. She stands up and goes to the edge. After taking off her light grey sweater, she hesitates. 

And then she jumps. Everyone goes to the edge to see what happened, but we can't see anything except for the hole. Eric smirks again. 

"Who's next?"

"Me," I say, stepping forward. He raises an eyebrow, but nods. I stand on the edge and look down. My legs turn to stone and refuse to move for a second, just like when I'm about to leap into a pool of freezing cold water. But I force myself to jump. 

Wind. It's rushing past me, blowing my long red hair up from my shoulders. I should be screaming, but I'm laughing. This is amazing; never have I felt so free. It only lasts for a second, though, and then I hit something soft at the bottom. A net, that's what it is. I grin as a young man helps me off of the net. I cheer; I want to do it again. Maybe later.

 

~The Tour~

The young man who helped me off the net (I later learned that his name is Four) takes us on a tour around Dauntless. First he shows us the "PIt", which is exactly what it sounds like. Apparently, it's the center of life here. They eat down here, have celebrations down here, and I don't even know what else. Thin walkways crisscross above the Pit. I notice there are no railings; if you were to fall, you'd definitely die once you hit the bottom.

Next comes the bedrooms. Well--bed/room/. The boys and the girls share a room, which causes mixed reactions from everyone. I sigh but accept it; this was my choice, and it comes with consequences. 

The bathroom is next, and I won't even go into detail with how much I hate it. I mentally plan out how I can hang my bedsheets around the toilet during the day so that I'll have a bit of privacy. Maybe the others will see the wisdom in it and follow. 

"Get changed," says Four, before leaving us to our own devices. "I want you in the Pit in two minutes." I sigh and glance at Tris, wondering how she's taking all of this.

 

As soon as we change into the black leather clothing typical of Dauntless, we head to the Pit. On the way there, we put our old clothes in a clothing incinerator. I feel different somehow, but better. This new clothing definitely represents who I am better than my Amity clothes. 

We find that dinner has been set out for us. Before we eat, a man on one of the higher platforms above the Pit addresses us. "Welcome, Initiates," he says. "You have chosen to join the Warrior faction. We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another. Respect that; do us proud." The Pit erupts in cheers and us Initiates are lifted up by the crowd and carried around in celebration. I laugh; I'm loving this place more and more.


End file.
